JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 13, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 13, 2024

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Eric Hansen

3:19

OK, there's some great question still in the queue and I am out of time. Maybe Tyler and I can get to them in the podcast. I'll try to get them added to that question queue. Thanks for asking, for lurking, for not spitting and for coming back each week. We'll do it all over again next week at noon ET.

3:17

Hi Jonathan. I like for the whole season to play out before I give it a grade and spin into the future too far, or else we would have given last rights on Sept. 8, right? But I do think this is a team that is showing improvement at the right time with still some formidable tests to pass.

Jonathan in Hideaway, TX

3:16

38.3 points per game (#8 in nation), 11.1 opponents ppg (#3 behind Ohio State and Army). Average scoring margin 27.2 (#2 behind Ohio State). Don’t believe ND has posted numbers like this since Ara’s 1966 team. Are we perhaps misunderestimating what these Irish lads are in the midst of accomplishing?

Eric Hansen

3:15

John, I don't have the answer to either of those question off the top of my head, but give me a week and I will answer those, because I'm sure there are others who want to know. I just don't have time to do a phone a friend as we're into overtime here.

Guest

3:14

John, Villa Park, Ca. Thanks for all your great ND coverage. You are a must read for me. A couple of playoff related questions. Once the committee seeds the teams, do they decide which first round games play at which times or is that decided by the networks? Second question. Will home teams be required to allocate a certain number / percentage of the tickets to the visiting team?

Eric Hansen

3:14

Thanks Matt, and I do not believe it's possible they could or would do that.

Matt from Austin

3:13

Hi Eric, great to see so many guys get meaningful reps versus FSU. That scenario can only help ND as the season moves forward. I read with a smile that the committee not looking at AP or Coaches rankings might be met with a "smidge of embellishment." I can't believe that the committee wouldn't at least take interest in how others view the teams in the rankings. Your AP vote notwithstanding, looking at how other coaches (or their staff voter) rank the competition seems to be very important. Do you really feel that the committee formulates their rankings in a total vacuum with no outside influence or research? Thank you as always. We truly appreciate your time and enjoyable comments. 38-10. Matt

Eric Hansen

3:13

OK, on the condition that you understand I'm not a licensed clairvoyant? 1. Yes. 2. No way. 3. Maybe, and it it is, it'll be CJ Carr.

Robert, Dunedin FL

Eric- please put on your prediction cap and answer (yes/no) if the following will occur over the next 5 years: 1. ND wins a National Championship. 2. ND joins a conference for football. 3. ND player wins the Heisman.

3:11

Eric- Just for fun, please put on your prediction hat and answer (yes/no) on whether the following will occur during the next 5 years:

Eric Hansen

3:11

Hi Sean. Thanks for your observations and score prediction. I'll leave those alone and answer your question. Yes they can help him improve and he has and there more improvement to make. Sometimes I think a narrative gets o ingrained, people can't see the improvement. But I do think it's a good sign that when we ask Mike Denbrock and Riley about what improvement should look like, they don't get defensive and they both can tell you what it should look like and are confident it will happen. And Sean, you are welcome on my lawn anytime. Just make sure to bring a rake!

Sean, Schaumburg, IL

Great insight on FNS. Humor as well. ND 45 UVA 10. Go Irish!!

3:06

Took in my first game this past weekend. Atmosphere was ok. I've experienced better in previous years. I agree the interviews during timeouts don't add anything and tamp down the atmosphere. DJ Kool was alright. His mention of Washington DC was odd. I thought it was the most unimpressive 52-3 game I've seen. Leonard missed too many deep balls. Toafili had a decent day running. 21-3 at halftime. Meh. I sat next to some recent ND grads that made the game fun and memorable. One of 'em has a Dad that played on the 1988 Title team. I keep going back to being disappointed by Leonard's lack of accuracy. Can Denbrock/Guidugli do anything at this point of the season to improve it? It'll be the Achilles heel of the offense if they make the playoffs. The ability by FSU to run the ball has me nervous for Army. Tyler is correct in being nervous jumping from Army to USC. Hopefully, Cross can be healthy enough to face Army. Angst remains. And, yes, Eric you did have a "Get off my lawn" vibe in you on FNS.

Eric Hansen

3:06

Hi Kevin. It's an intriguing question that deserves a better answer than what I can provide for you today. The difficulty is you're dealing with guys at different stages in their careers and at different stages of the program, and I do think there's value in what BK provided during his time at ND. But let me at least touch on your ultimate question which is, can Marcus Freeman be an effective head coach in games on the big stage? I think the answer is yes now and more so in the future. I think he's got two of the best coordinators in college football and their chemistry is outstanding with each other. I think also ND has a quarterback now and in the future that can get them to the big games and possibly win some of those ... at least not get pushed off the big stage.

Kevin from Calgary

3:01

Eric (I will refrain from trying to outdo Manny on exclamation marks), I always thought one of the major faults of Brian Kelly as a coach was he tried not to lose big games (resulting in the team laying an egg). During the Navy loss to ND I thought the Midshipmen suffered that same fate. Kelly seemed to come up with the most vanilla approaches to supposed superior opponents and it ended in disaster. Do you think Freeman can overcome that tendency and convince the team they are actually as good as their opponents?

Eric Hansen

3:01

Hi Mike. Those traits differ from interior offensive linemen to tackles and circumstances differ from year to year with individual players. But I take it you want to get to the bottom of why hasn't it happened for Baker, given his recruiting pedigree and at times a clear path to locking down a starting position. He actually had to come in for a few plays early in Saturday night's game when Knapp got dinged, and his size makes him look like a ringer. And he did play well on Saturday, but he has not had the consistency over his career, especially when he has had an opportunity. So what separated Knapp from Baker, Knapp's ability to process mistakes and lessons and apply them quickly and consistently. He played with more physicality, even though he's smaller. His technique is better. Baker is a guy I like for his perseverance, for his team-first mentality, for not giving up on himself.

Mike aka Mo from Maumee OH

My question is: what has kept him as a second team tackle? He certainly has the size and reach. In general, what are the traits that elevates an offensive lineman to a starter, given that they all are 300 pounds plus. Knapp isn't quite 300 pounds, so he must have that combination of traits that Baker doesn't. Thanks!

2:55

Hi Eric- question about Tosh Baker. Coming out of high school, he was highly rated as anywhere from the #4-6 offensive lineman. I think he became a starter during the season when a young Joe Alt was thrust into the left tackle position after a slew of injuries there.

Eric Hansen

2:55

Kevin &&&&$$)@! Getting the four-star WR recruit back on campus was a big first step. I think the Irish have a fighting chance, but it'll be a fight to the finish. They did gain significant momentum with him during the weekend.

Kevin-Sleepy Eye,MN

2:50

Eric:):):):):) Do you like our chances of Landing Meadows? We need to hit some home runs with WR recruits.

Eric Hansen

2:50

Manny!!!!! Your question was a little outdated, but the punctuation made up for it, and I think I can answer it in general terms. I think Notre Dame should be at No. 6 as well, but I think 8 was a fair ranking and a good place for the Irish to be. The schedule they have left is actually more robust than a lot of the teams they're competing against for seeding, including the two SEC teams at 10 and 11, Alabama and Ole Miss.

Manny from San Pedro

2:47

Eric!!!! What a fun great season!!! I am looking forward to the final three games. My question is why does one year the committee says style points matter. Other years it’s who you beat. This year seems to be who you lost to and it’s hurting ND in the rankings. It seems like any 1 loss big ten or sec will be ahead of us. No matter their schedule. ( I’m writing this before the new poll comes out) but the eye test says ND should be 6. Shocked seeing them so low last week

Eric Hansen

2:47

Hi Steve. I think his rushing numbers are underappreciated, but I think being an afterthought in the Heisman race at this point isn't a slap in the face. There are players on contending teams with bigger, better overall numbers.

Steve. Findlay ohio

2:45

Hi Eric, Should Riley be getting more heisman attention with his play this year? His rushing yardage looks like a misprint

Eric Hansen

2:45

Ha. It's a tropical 51 in South Bend, but it's 70 in my home office thanks to a furnace that works! So there's a difference between ranking and seed because of the conference auto-bids and seeding. So ND's peak seed would be 5 even though it could be ranked higher. Let's talk about realistic seeding. I think the ceiling is probably 6. I think either the SEC runner-up or the Big Ten runner-up will be sitting at 5. What we don't know is how the committee will view conference title game losers. They're hinted that the penalty for losing this cycle will be minimal. But what about scoring margin or an upset or many other factors. Given all of that, if ND wins and wins without struggling over the next three games, I'd put them as the No. 7 seed with maybe a 6 seed/ Once we get closer to a probability of a home playoff game, I'll dig into the details about tickets.

J Buck, San Diego

2:39

Hello, its a brisk 75 here in SD;), there is your weather report for the day, anyways how do you see the teams in front of us in the rankings by the end of the season? There are 4 BIG 10 teams ahead of us, and at least three of those are going to take another loss? After watching BYU and UTAH I don't see how they are ranked higher than ND. Point being, I know, I know its about time I got to the point, I think if ND wins out they should be in the top 5 by the EOY. Yaa Naa? Thanks for these chats. ohh and what's the deal with the tickets if ND gets a home playoff game?

Eric Hansen

2:39

Thank you, Lorne. I could answer that one without caffeine.

Lorne

2:38

Lorne from Reno. Love the chats (thank you), love the site. Those who grumble about superteams being created through the portal should see Saturday’s game as a cautionary tale. If you rely on the portal and miss, you can end up like FSU. Our reliance on recruiting (with the portal for patches) means we have so much talent among our underclassmen that we will lose excellent players to the portal because you can only play 11 at a time (I suspect we’ll lose J. Price and his 7.3 ypc). Even if we falter, CMF has built the foundation for sustained success … through an emphasis on recruiting. RIP Gerry Faust. In way over his head as a coach (Pinkett, Pinkett, pass, punt), but you will be lucky if you ever meet a better person. No question, just thanks and comments.

Eric Hansen

2:37

I'm not sure if you're asking me to explain the committee's position or defend it. I guess, I'll try to do a hybrid of that. Let's look at blanket conference strength like you insist upon over looking at these teams and their opponents individually. But let's do it with the SEC. Team one plays in conference: Kentucky, Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, Texas, Florida, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. Team 2 plays Alabama , Auburn and Miss. St. in common, but plays Vandy, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Arkansas. So team one plays three top 10 teams among the five teams not shared and team 2 plays 0. Team 1 is Georgia. Team 2 is Missouri. Not that out-of-conference records aren't important, they are. They are connectors for common data points, but they're not everything. I hope that makes sense.

2:29

OK I am back and I think that will help, but bourbon might have been the more effective option, so here goes ...

2:27

Len!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I understood your question more. I think I am confused. I am sorry. Let me go refill my coffee cup and see if that helps.

Len from the Jersey Shore

2:25

Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CFP week 2 rankings are out. And I still think the rest of the country press is catching up to where I am at. I am not saying that the BIG top 4 are not elite. But based upon the balance of the conference getting zero votes in either the AP or Coaches poll, we can see that past number 4 there is no team standing out. Plus as I pointed out last week the BIG has a losing record against other power 4 schools. I know you mentioned that each school on a team's schedule is looked at separately, and not as a conference as a whole, it looks like the committee chair has pulled a fast one on the committee if that is the case. If 9 of 12 teams games are in the conference, than relative conference strength is important. IU, as things sit now, will play only one team over 500 in their conference. Is the committee using one game to verify or debunk their "eye test" thoughts?

Eric Hansen

2:24

Kahanu Kia is coming back next year and Ko'o Kia is joining him as is Anthony Sacca and likely Madden Faraimo. And ND just got a commitment from one of the top LBs in the 2026 class and is a strong contender for the No. 1 LB in that class. So lots and lots of competition.

2:23

Hi Mark. I feel like the sun is always shining on me, even when I can't see it. ... You did throw me a curve with your first question, in that I'm guessing autocorrect got the best of it? Strongest motivation "to portal" might be "to persevere" I'm guessing? Let me go to No. 2. Anthonie Knapp improvement is happening, and he's settling down, playing more confidently and consistently. Learning from each game situation and applying it in the next game. His technique is solid and he's tough. More physicality is needed, but he'll get that in the offseason not in November. ... And no, I don't think a clip of a drill has one iota to do with any recruit's decision. Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng has the potential to be a special linebacker at the college level, but the way ND is recruiting the position in the past few cycles and the current one, there's not a clear and certain path to early playing time for him. ND loses only Kiser. Ausberry and Bowen are sophs, KVA a freshman, Sneed a junior. (more)

Guest

2:15

Mark Czar GR Mich ///: I hope the sun is shining on you in South Bend. Avery Davis was always a favorite. What do you think his strongest motivation to portal was? As you look at Anthony Knapp what would improvement look like at this stage? Do you think NOB cooling on ND has anything to do with Rivals Five-Star clips showing Kevin Brown dominating him in pass pro drills continuously running for the last +4 months?

Eric Hansen

2:15

Hi Rui. I get your question. Let's look at it as it pertains to both ND and the field in general. If BYU were to loss to Colorado and that was their only loss, they certainly would drop behind ND and may drop out of the playoff field all together. If they do not, yes, the Big 12 being a two-bid league is a problem this year for someone, just not Notre Dame. Not quite parallel in the ACC, where SMU is pretty good and beating Miami would knock the Hurricanes completely out of the field. But it's something the conference commissioners and ND AD Pete Bevacqua will want to monitor as they consider possible CFP format changes starting in 2026.

Rui from Westchester, NY

2:11

Concerned about the possible happening( using this as an example ) of Colorado beating BUY in Big 12 game...and now an underdog( team that wouldnt make 12-team playoff ) has stolen a slot to the dance from a bubble team( a la NCAA mens bball when conf tourney is won by a team that wouldnt make dance )...do we see this happening in the future and your thoughts on if it does and how it affects those "bubble teams"? Hope my question makes sense

Eric Hansen

2:11

HI Ed, thank you. Aneyas Williams was an early enrollee as was fellow freshman RB Kedren Young, the latter of whom missed most of spring with a chronic hamstring injury. I really like the future for both of them. It kind of reminds me of Logan Diggs and Audric Estimé coming in as freshmen together in the same class a few years ago. Yes, Williams has such a wide skill set for a freshman, including pass protection. He is earning trust for more critical situational roles. Again, really impressed with both of those guys. You'll see more of Young in 2025 than you are this season.

Ed, Sayville NY

2:05

Hello Eric. What do you hear? What do you say? It feels like the staff has significant confidence in Aneyas Williams and not just as a blocker. I’m not sure if he was an early enrollee, but he has certainly come on quick. What are your thoughts on his future potential and might his role as a pass catcher catch present an opportunity down the stretch?

Thank you additionally for your writing on Coach Faust who was truly a terrific human being.

Eric Hansen

2:04

Hi Mike. If there's one thing I would change about Marcus Freeman if I could, it'd be his experience level, but I think he continues to grow in the areas he needs to and is ahead of the curve in a lot of other areas. Fit is so important at any school and even more so than most at Notre Dame, and Freeman fits this place. I used this word earlier in the chat, but Freeman's authenticity should not be underestimated in today's college football and how that plays in recruiting and with other areas of roster management. I like where Marcus Freeman is heading.

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